"Is it just me, or did half of our pack move in with the vampires?" Dain told Frerin during one of their regular chess meetings.
"And the vampires are treated as normal people, and one of our wolves is fucking one of the vampires." Frerin added.
"And you still have a stick up your ass." Dain added making a move.
Dain always considered their relationship complicated. They had been together on and off for the last three centuries. Frerin clearly having problems dealing with the idea they would spend eternity together. Their constant fighting lead to a million break ups, their passion lead to a million makes ups, and now they were officially distant and unmated. Frerin was complicated, he needed to be on top, he just had to always be right, and he had problems dealing with the passing time and losing so many people around him. He slowly isolated himself from the tribe, not to make close friends, not to become involved. Fili was the first young wolf he openly embraced, he helped Dis raise him, he tried to be a father to him. The disappointment of Fili taking a vampire as a mate hit Frerin more than he tried to acknowledge. And Dain could see right through him.
"You used to love that about me." Frerin told him with a smirk.
"I still do." Dain noticed. "I still love you. I'll probably always love you."
"That didn't stop you from fucking that whore." Frerin told him bitterly.
"You would have one wolf less in your pack if I didn't." Dain noticed bitterly. "It's not as if we were together then."
"It's not." Frerin noticed. "And even though I like the kid, I still wish you hadn't."
"I can't consciously say the same. I did however never give him my name because you forbid me to." Dain added. "And since we're still not together because of him, I regret not giving my son the family and support he deserves to have."
"He has his brothers." Frerin was impassionate.
"And a lousy life full of bitterness and problems." Dain added bitterly. "A life in which he is rejected by part of the tribe."
"You want to fight about it yet again?" Frerin was cold.
"No, I wish we would finally stop fighting about it." Dain added with pain in his voice. "You can't stop Fili from loving his vampire, the same as you can't stop feeling what you feel for me."
"We made too many mistakes." Frerin was cold and distant again.
"And you'll make another one if you won't give Fili and the vampire a real chance." Dain added coldly and left without a word.
Frerin looked back at his mate leaving him again. There was so much bitterness and rage in their relations. So much tears and despair. And so much love and passion at the same time. Pretending he didn't care, pretending he didn't love him, pretending was so irritating. He knew Dain was right, he knew he should give Fili an honest chance, he knew rejecting Dain was a mistake. He couldn't blame his kid for it, the boy was so much like Dain, so kind, gentle and smart. The boy was a good innocent wolf, and just because Frerin felt as if Dain had cheated on him, he knew he hadn't.
"Dain?" He used the stupid phone thing again.
"What?" His former mate spoke dryly.
"We're going to visit them for dinner." Frerin spoke coldly.
"Then why are you calling me? You should call them instead." Dain laughed.
"We're going to make a surprise visit." Frerin's voice was a bit lighter. "The two of us."
"Like in the good old days." Dain noticed.
"Exactly." Frerin curtly replied. "I'll pick you up."
"We need more chairs!" Bilbo noticed. The dining room table was set up again in the garden.
"There are like five more chairs in the basement." Ori noticed. "I'll go and get them."
"Are we expecting more people tonight?" Dis asked surprised.
"I have a feeling we're going to have a crowd tonight." Fili noticed, as Dis and Bilbo were frantically preparing more food.
"So how come they seem to know it as well?" Bofur asked surprised.
"It's not that they know it, it's more like they finally realized how much us wolves need to eat!" Nori grinned happily.
"Nah, we're having more people over for dinner!" Fili smirked at them. "I have a strange feeling we need more chairs."
Who are we expecting? Kili asked curiously.
If I'm not wrong… Fili began.
You're never wrong… Kili added.
If I'm not wrong we'll have Frerin and Dain, as well as Borin and Farin. Fili told him. Thorin seems to be on his way as well.
That's fucking fantastic! Kili joked. Do you want to warn everybody?
Never in your life! Fili laughed.
"Will you two stop talking in your heads!" Dis scolded them. "Kili help me with the food!"
"Are you expecting somebody?" Dain asked with a smile.
"You!" Fili smiled at him. "Come in, where is Frerin?"
"He's bringing beer from the car." Dain smiled. "I should have known you would know we're coming."
"Hey Council Leader!" Borin yelled at Dain.
"How's your mother?" Dain laughed.
"Almost exploding! We'll be a family of nine soon!" Farin smiled at their leader.
"So what's for dinner Dis?" Borin asked her.
"Ask Kili!" Dis scolded him. "He's in charge of the kitchen and food."
"Hello!" Bilbo greeted the red haired man. "I don't believe we met, I'm Bilbo!"
"Dain!" Dain shook his hand. "This is Frerin." He introduced the blond coming from the car.
"The pack leader?" Bilbo asked with a smile.
"That's me!" Frerin smiled at the human.
"Dinner!" Kili called bringing in one of the first plates.
"So the vampire is cooking?" Dain asked surprised.
"He worked as a chef in a real restaurant. He loves good food." Dis explained curtly with a radiant smile.
"Hey Boss!" Telchar greeted the older wolves.
"Have you seen the new website Kili designed for us?" Narvi told their leader.
"The what?" Frerin asked sternly.
"It's like an advertisement." Dain told him. "You know on that inter thingy."
"You know I hate these new gadgets." Frerin complained.
"I'll show you. It's beautiful!" Narvi was clearly very enthusiastic. "He used to be a famous painter, you know centuries ago!" Narvi pulled out his laptop, and began showing the website to the older wolves.
"Really?" Dain was clearly surprised.
"Is there something you can't do?" He asked the vampire.
"Many things." Kili hesitantly told him. "I worked as a chef, I painted, I drew, lots of different things really."
"And now he designs the best computer games!" Narvi became a Kili fan, even though Kili was a vampire.
"What kind of games?" Frerin was oblivious.
"We'll show you after dinner!" Fili told his beloved uncle. "It's a special type of games you play on computers."
"And I thought those machines were only used for boring serious stuff, like business, accountancy and stuff." Dain told them surprised.
"You're both archaic!" Dis scolded them.
"Nice to see you Frerin and Dain." Ori politely greeted the wolves. "Has anyone introduced you to Fili's guests?" He asked politely.
"Not yet." Frerin dryly noticed.
Ori went and pulled Dwalin towards the wolf leaders. "This is Dwalin. He is helping with the renovation, and he is as old as you two, so you should get along."
"Nice to meet you!" Dain was polite. Frerin just slightly nodded.
"So do you often get these huge gatherings?" Dain asked curiously.
"Pretty much all the time now. Kili's cooking is fantastic!" Dis told them. "Although I do admit Bilbo is great as well."
"I'll help Kili with the food!" Ori ran towards the kitchen.
"This feels weird…" Frerin whispered to Dain.
"Relax!" Dain told him and grabbed his knee under the table. "Just go with the flow."
"You've got to whistle if you feed dogs!" Bofur taunted as he finally arrived trailing after Nori.
"I'll feed you to the dogs!" Nori taunted him back.
"Don't mind them, that's the newest couple around, and they get on like fire…" Fili told both elders a bit worried about their reaction to the atmosphere between Nori and Bofur.
"More like they enjoy a good fight to fire them both up…" Dis added with a grin.
"Thank you!" Dain politely told Ori as the boy put a plate right in front of him.
"Great food!" Frerin told the vampire.
Kili just smiled happily.
"We love your baked ribs!" Borin agreed. "You cook as well as dad!"
"And the steamed broccoli!" Dori added.
"And the dinner is free here!" Farin added with a grin.
"Maybe we should bill you all?" Dis told the boys.
"It's not like they need any money…" Bofur scolded his lover. "Kili is filthy rich!"
"Not like I care!" Fili grabbed his vampire and spun him around disregarding the plates Kili was carrying. Kili in a swift move put the plates on the tables and grabbed Fili tightly in a blink of an eye.
"I'm glad to see you two still getting along." A voice startled them all.
"Thorin!" Bilbo yelled happily clearly very surprised. The human ran over to the vampire and hugged him tightly. "It's so good you're here." Bilbo whispered looking up into his eyes.
The two wolf elders glanced at the tall vampire. He had an aura of power around him, and something magnetic clearly suggesting he was a different league of vampire.
"I'm happy to see you two." The vampire gently hugged Bilbo with tenderness.
"Uncle!" Kili yelled and hugged the taller vampire with affection. "I'm so happy to see you!"
"It's not like you didn't see me for ten years like last time!" Thorin joked.
"That was forced. Ships didn't sail fast enough!" Kili complained. "Come on let me introduce you to all the big bad wolves."
Kili showed Thorin around and introduced him to everyone, the two old wolves clearly reserved, but Thorin was equally cold to all the wolves apart from Fili.
"So have you dropped by for dinner?" Frerin gently taunted the old vampire.
"No, I'm bringing my husband home." Thorin spoke equally coldly.
"Don't you mind losing one of your coven members?" Dain asked curiously.
"I'm not losing anyone. He'll always be my coven member, the same as he'll always be my family." Thorin told them firmly.
"Even when he stays here forever in the company of wolves?" Frerin asked hypothetically.
Thorin laughed at that. "It doesn't matter where he is. What matters is that he's happy with his soul mate, what matters is that he lives according to what I taught him. All the other things are just details."
"You think we're details?" Dain joked.
"As long as you're his friends, you are my friends as well." Thorin put it as simple as possible.
"I couldn't agree more with you." Dain smiled kindly at the vampire.
"And Fili was so worried you'd both go nuclear hearing about the new mixed couple." Thorin noticed with a grin as Bofur and Nori were arguing yet again.
"No one is planning to get caught up in World War 3." Dain noticed with an evil glare, as the crazy vampire and wolf were fighting yet again.
"So are you planning to stay long?" Frerin asked coldly.
"As long as my mate wants." Thorin put the decision in Bilbo's hands.
"And he bloody loves it here…" Dain noticed with a smirk.
"You're going to have to come to Fili's birthday party!" Dis approached the vampire leader. "We're organizing it in three weeks."
"With pleasure." Thorin slowly nodded. "Are you planning to invite your friends Kili?" He asked his favorite vampire.
"Of course!" Fili added. "We'll invite Legolas, Tauriel, Bain and Bard. Balin and Bifur."
"Don't forget Sigrid and Tilda, Eowyn, Faramir, Boromir and the whole crew." Kili added.
"How many of them are vampires?" Dain asked clearly worried.
"All of them?" Kili spoke in a meek voice.
"Just fucking great!" Frerin mumbled under his nose.
"It's going to be a wolf-vampire integration party!" Bilbo noticed.
Frerin sent a stare towards Thorin, the vampire stared back. "I think that means we need to get along." He finally told the vampire.
"It does seem so." Thorin added.
"All the vampires coming here have to obey our rules." Dain spoke in a firm voice.
"Don't worry most of them are vegetarians!" Kili laughed gently.
"Vegetarians?" Dain asked surprised.
"Meaning they live only on the blood of animals." Bilbo quickly explained. "Thorin's pack have not renounced human blood, drinking from volunteers or blood from donors. The two other covens nearby feed only on blood of animals."
"Can't you also go on this type of diet?" Dain asked curiously.
"It's a matter of control." Thorin told them carefully weighing his words. "A small amount of human blood can keep us at full strength, and satiates the rage and hunger. Vampires on animal blood are insatiate, meaning they can fall into rage and hunger easier. It's a matter of choice and strategy. From my experience this way is easier, and it also means my coven is more disciplined, stronger and in control."
"Are those two covens dangerous because of it?" Frerin asked worried a bit.
"Not at all. They are very old covens, and they lived on this type of diet for centuries now. I would consider them safe. But introducing this type of diet now, and enforcing it on other vampires is futile. Once someone knows the taste of human blood, no other blood is satisfactory." Thorin added.
"I believe it's time we go home." Bilbo told Thorin with a gentle smile.
"I'm glad you say so." Thorin smiled back. "Call us with the date of the party." Thorin nodded to Fili.
Kili hearing they were leaving launched at Thorin and hugged both him and Bilbo.
"Fine so I can finally get to work." Dwalin dully noticed and disappeared.
"I think it's time for us as well." Dain told them and pulled Frerin along.